(CNN) – Mitt Romney's winning streak will continue Tuesday in Wisconsin if a new poll out of the Badger State proves correct.

The NBC/Marist Poll released Friday indicated Romney edged out his Republican opponents with 40% support from likely primary voters, followed by Rick Santorum's 33%, Ron Paul's 11% and Newt Gingrich's 8%.- Follow the Ticker on Twitter: @PoliticalTicker

However, Santorum led among very conservative primary voters, strong supporters of the tea party movement and evangelical Christians.

Romney has captured states where evangelical voters constituted less than 50% of the electorate and failed to win in states where that number exceeded 50%. The key conservative voting bloc makes up 41% of the electorate in Wisconsin, according to the most recent survey.

If Romney captures the GOP nomination he will face an uphill battle against President Barack Obama in the state the former Illinois senator won in 2008 with 56.3% of the vote to then-Republican nominee Sen. John McCain's 42.4%.

Obama held a sizeable lead over his potential Republican rivals in hypothetical general election match-ups in the state, topping Romney 52% to 35% among registered voters, with 13% undecided. He also beat Santorum by 13 percentage points, 51% to 38%, with 11% undecided.

The president benefited from a gender gap that showed Obama beating Romney among women by 25 points and among men by 12 points. Obama's job approval rating in the state stood at 50%.

Voters head to the polls in Wisconsin, Maryland and the District of Columbia on Tuesday.

The poll surveyed 2,792 registered voters between March 26 and March 27 with a sampling error of plus or minus 1.9 percentage points and 740 likely Republican primary voters with a sampling error of plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

Gov. Scott Walker and Rep. Paul Ryan will be millstones around Romney's neck this November.

March 30, 2012 09:24 am at 9:24 am |

vic , nashville ,tn

Republicans are saying Romney is right candidate but recent polls show just opposite
While Romney is winning his delegates and endorsements Obama approval rating also going in positive direction

March 30, 2012 09:28 am at 9:28 am |

Mike in Texas

When Romney wins the nomination and the general election campaign starts watch a subtle move the center by Romney. If he keeps his far right stance on women's rights, defense, etc.......he will have a hard time defeating Obama.

March 30, 2012 09:37 am at 9:37 am |

once upon a horse

Romney and the GOP had better keep hoping gas prices don't come down too soon.....right now that is their ace in the hole to a certain extent because there are still folks out there that believe Obama is responsible for high gas prices. even though NO president can control that. AS of right now Romney's unfavorables are MUCH higher than the president's so I guess more people are supposed to start liking him by November.

March 30, 2012 09:55 am at 9:55 am |

Four and The Door

I do look forward to Mitt Romney getting the opportunity to debate Obama on the issues. This is where Obama loses. On the issues A. Because he will not be able to defend his performance. and B. Because he has no plan forward.

March 30, 2012 09:57 am at 9:57 am |

fernace

I think most people have believed Romney would get the nomination from the start. What many of us were not prepared for is the acrimonious & often ridiculous statements from the repub candidates,about eachother, the President, women, immigrants, gays, et. al.! It has been 1 big attack fest! The right has shown us it's ugly underbelly & it's sad to know what they think of so many of us! The point is, if they have such low opinion of the majority of Americans, how do any of them propose to lead us! Obama has demonstrated over & again that he's the adult in the room & that he cares about what happens to All of us, not just the rich! That's a good starting point to move us forward!! Obama/Biden next4!

March 30, 2012 10:31 am at 10:31 am |

1twinsfan

A man that can install an elevator for his cars(?!) really has no concept of how the price of gas hurts the average American family.

March 30, 2012 10:37 am at 10:37 am |

Fair is Fair

After reading the article, this is kind of a misleading headline, dontcha think?

March 30, 2012 10:43 am at 10:43 am |

Sniffit

"I do look forward to Mitt Romney getting the opportunity to debate Obama on the issues."

You. Have. No. Idea. I have my popcorn picked out and ready to go...not for the debate...but for the hair-on-fire hang-wringing desperation-spin from the GOP/Teatrolls after Obama takes Mittens out to the woodshed. "But Mittens said everythign we wanted to hear as conservatives so that means he won!!!! Who cares that he looks like a pasty butler robot with a faulty humnanity chip and can't take a solid position and support it with facts!!! HE'S SAYING WHAT WE WANT TO HEAR!!!"

March 30, 2012 10:45 am at 10:45 am |

Sniffit

"After reading the article, this is kind of a misleading headline, dontcha think?"

I agree. Using the words "Romney" and "leads" in the same sentence is never NOT misleading. Captain Panderpants' penchant for pussyfoot flip-floppery in order to say what he thinks his audience most wants to hear is not the mark of a leader, but rather aself-serving, pathetic and purile follower who wants so desperately to be liked and get votes that he has abandoned all spine and sense of core principles.

March 30, 2012 10:50 am at 10:50 am |

Lynda/Minnesota

Mittens is foolish if he thinks he can Etch-A-Sketch his way to the White House wearing his worn-out jeans and plaid oxford shirts. That he doesn't play well with others is an understatement which will haunt him for years to come. Mitt's coming across a weaker candidate than John McCain ever did.

March 30, 2012 10:51 am at 10:51 am |

J.V.Hodgson

Four and the door... you must have enjoyed the Movie " BACK TO THE FUTURE" !! Why because so far it's repeal all the Obama administration has done free up the banks to do as before, no simple credit card contracts, lots of sub prime mortgages, derivatives and CDS's
All of which caused the global economic crash and the US banks needing to be rescued by Bush legislation just in case you dont remember that too well.
TO A) Obama will have great opportunities to the win the debate as Republicans have consistently voted down democratic legislation for positive job creation and economic growth The American Jobs Act being the classic which failed not logically but because of Pledges to Grover Norquist, and the dsire to oust Obama, nothing to do with the Vox populi!!
B) He has had consistent policies and plans for the forward times especially on international policy and reducing military spending as our debt balloon initially under BUSH. These combined with Getting out of Iraq, Afghanistan both REDUCE OUR DEBT SIGNIFICANTLY, Romney would take us into a new war in IRAN!! Energy policy consistent, Tax policy consistent. Back to the future tax policies did not create or trickle down jobs. The Bush years saw the lowest job creation rate in multiple decades. and the worst recession in almost 100Years.
Get real and stop supporting Failed Policies and ideologies that got us into this mess.
Your blogs are like Republican campaigns All criticism with no real substance and no realistic actual policies that work when independently evaluated by the CBO or others.
Regards,
Hodgson.

March 30, 2012 10:51 am at 10:51 am |

MTATL67

I have always held the believe that polls are never to be believed. Don't tell me the Republicans war on women will be a major factor in their defeat in Novemember. The other is their complete disregard and disrespect towards Hispanic voters.

March 30, 2012 10:56 am at 10:56 am |

Publius Novus

Four and the Door, you're a funny guy. I'm not sure Romney is going to debate the President. Romney would be smart to stay away from any situation in which he does not have a prepared text, lest he tell another of his unfunny jokes or reinforce his lack of connection with 99% of humanity. Obama v. Romney in a debate? I'd be willing to make a $10,000 bet on who wins that one.

March 30, 2012 10:57 am at 10:57 am |

Marie MD

A rock would win against the flip floppef. Actually a tree that is the right height would also.
Let's see, corporations are people, I love tonfire people, my wife has two Cadillacs, my house in la Jolla, CA (one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the country) will have a car elevator, the President sang a very sexy song-the flip flopper goes to the villages in Florida and croons America the Beautiful, dog is strapped to the top of the car in a cage on trip from Boston to Toronto, he tried to give a five year old a dollar (the kid's contribution to his millionaire campaign) and only has $100 bills in his wallet, he makes $10M just from interest in 2011 from money literally in the bank, who knows what he is hiding in offshore banks.
Anyone else wigh rich anecdotes about the boy who doesn't want to but his legacy says he needs and has to be President?

Anybody else have little rich anecdotes of this millionaire

March 30, 2012 11:00 am at 11:00 am |

B

Romney the robot will be made to look like what he is in a real debate with Obama, a Robot.

March 30, 2012 11:06 am at 11:06 am |

Joi Gibson

Willard has said so many outlandish things in the primaries, then he is going try to pivot to the center for the general election. Which begs the question, even if he does manage to make headway with some folks with his so-called pivot, which Willard will you get in the White House. It's too scary to think about. It is like the man has multiple personality disorder. He does what he's told by the establishment Republicans. Did you notice how quickly he flipped on that Blount amendment in Congress. He seems to go out of his way to support the notion that he has no core convictions because of his massive flip flops. Even his laugh/chuckle, whatever you call it, seems fake.

I want steady, cool, calm, and collected, someone who weighs the consequences of his actions, someone who realizes the military is not just some abstract entity, but actual human beings, someone who does not go on about make-believe enemies, and going to war at the drop of a hat. That ain't Willard.

OBAMA/BIDEN/FIRST LADY MICHELLE 2012!!!!!

March 30, 2012 11:11 am at 11:11 am |

The Real Tom Paine

Ok, Four, I'll bite: what's Romney's plan for moving us forward? I'm sure he can get the economy going again: after all, he raised fees on everything that moved in MA and had only 3 states out-do him in being unable to create jobs. Will he propose a national gas retailer's tax like he did in MA? NO, he'll simply give us the intelelctual babyfood the righties want to ehar, even though its never been able to work at a national level ( and we've been trying for 3 decades to ignore reality and make it work) By the way, did anyone see that consumer confidence is at its highest level in 8 months? Romney's rationale for running is continuing to evaporate.

March 30, 2012 11:12 am at 11:12 am |

kayode

Romney is not a replacement for President Obama. Romney does not care about the poor, he wanted Detroit car
industries to go bankruptcy and finally he is out of touch with ordinary American popullace. He should just collect all his
interest on all the bank accounts stacked away in Swiss bank, Cayman Island and enjoy his abundant wealth.

March 30, 2012 11:18 am at 11:18 am |

lili

romney can't cut the cheese. Obama 2012

March 30, 2012 11:20 am at 11:20 am |

Four and The Door

B
Romney the robot will be made to look like what he is in a real debate with Obama, a Robot.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Okay, so Mitt Romney does not move like Jagger. But what are you interested in, a front man for a rock band or a leader of a nation of 350 million people with the largest most sophisticated economy the planet has ever known? Obama has already proven that this community is more than he is able to organize. But in a debate with Mitt Romney Obama will bring everything he has... a pile of excuses and no plan forward. That will not play well, even on NBC.